Some Trade Policy-Related Papers

Emerging Economies and the WTO
Ms. Mariarosaria Iorio of the International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) thinks, among other things, that the fact that the insistence of emerging economies on keeping the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) during the last Doha Round, an insistence that led to the breakdown of the round, shows that the world of trade policies is experiencing a geopolitical shift. This, she says, is certainly different from what happened during the Uruguay round that led to the formation of the WTO. I agree with her. Here is the paper (.doc)

SSM and South-South Trade
An ActionAid publication, supporting SSM, debunks the argument that SSM would discourage south-south trade. It addresses what it describes as false premises:

1. the South – South trade in agriculture comprises the bulk of world trade in agriculture

2. the countries of the south are either agricultural exporters or agricultural importers

3. SSM will be used frequently and indiscriminately by many developing countries

4. the inclusion of an effective SSM in the final Doha Round outcome will negatively affect the expected gains from agricultural trade liberalisation

5. South-South trade is an absolute good that must be pursued at all costs